Our Strands of Fate Are Intertwined
by NicoleGoldstein13
Summary: I'm reaching out here to show you what we've been through. I think there's something we can share, that's completely new- Silver/Kotone;;; My reversed series all in one place!
1. Her Beginning Is Only the Beginning

_**Her Beginning Is Only the Beginning;**_

Kotone is merely three years old when she realizes that her life isn't going to get any better. Her mom left her, at the age of one, with nothing but the name Kotone can claim, and a dusty Poke-ball with an Arcanine somewhere on a shelf. If Kotone sits and really concentrates, she can remember a tall lady with ocean blue eyes, and soft brown hair. She placed a kiss on her head, and said goodbye, without a backwards glance. But, when her mom left without her, Kotone was left with her dad. Giovanni.

Giovanni could be a good father, she thinks, if he didn't care so much about trying to take over the world. Well, actually, he wouldn't be a good dad. He already makes Kotone train with his Team Rocket grunts, claiming that he's "preparing her for the world", and that it's "good to stomp out the weakness while she's young." Giovanni also forbids her from playing with toys. But, she's learned to hide her precious items from him since she learned how to walk. Behind her bed in her room, she's already carved out a hallow wall space to hide things. Such as her Jigglypuff stuffed toy, and a delicate tea set from one of the nicer grunts. As well as the Poke-ball.

Kotone isn't happy, like most three year olds are. She's already become a Team Rocket grunt, and she's already pegged to become the heir to this legacy when she turns sixteen. She's already got her things packed to run away.

* * *

Kotone is seven years old when her dreams of running away are crushed into oblivion. If only she hadn't taken the time to try and write a letter of explanation to her dad. She had her bag sitting by her open door, filled with her extra set of clothes, and her toys. Kotone wanted to write the letter to get some closure and ensure that she wouldn't have anything left to say to him. She had placed the letter, written in crayon, on her table, and was about to grab her Poke-ball from her secret hiding place when Giovanni came sprinting into her room.

Giovanni looked extremely enraged. His face was darker than beet red, and the frown that was permanently set on his face had become even more prominent. He glanced at the bag, then to the letter. He immediately grabbed it before Kotone could even take a step to save it. He read the letter quickly, his anger becoming more obvious. Kotone tried to sneak past him, to run for it, and she was this close to making it out the door… When he grabbed her shirt collar and pulled her back into the room. Efficiently trapping her. He let go of Kotone, and let her stumble back before falling down.

"What is this, Kotone." His voice was deathly calm, and she knew two things; She would not be able to lie, and that he was seriously mad. Plus, he used her name, something he never did.

"A letter." Kotone answered quietly, rubbing the sting away from her neck. She didn't even dare to look up at him.

"You know what I mean." His patience was wearing thin, she could tell.

"I was running away." She took a chance, and looked up at her father. He didn't reply, didn't acknowledge that she had spoken… Giovanni walked closer towards her. "I'm sorry! I just… I just wanted to go find m-" Kotone didn't have the chance to finish; Giovanni had slapped her across the face. Hard.

"I hope you've learned your lesson, Kotone." He grabbed her backpack, and walked out of the room. Kotone couldn't cry, as much as she wanted to, there wasn't anything left for that much energy. Instead, she hung her head low, and just held her face.

Kotone is finally starting to realize, that she isn't going to ever be her father's golden child, and that she won't be able to live her life the way she wants to. And as a result of trying to run away from him, she is forced to take even more Team Rocket grunt exercises that will put her on the fast track to becoming an Executive. She's already broken at the age of seven… What else could go wrong in her life.

* * *

Kotone is thirteen years old when she's shown a glimpse of kindness in this world. There's a guy who's been ruining her father's plans, and she can't help but love him. She's seen the guy who wears a red cap, with his Pikachu, just single handily taking down every grunt in the team. He wears this smug smile each time he passes by Kotone, just watching him destroy their hideout. His name is Red.

In the past six years, Kotone has become quiet, yet defiant. Her attitude infuriates her father so much, that she's been cut from the track of becoming a significant part of Team Rocket. It makes her want to smile, but then her dad will catch onto her happiness and squash it once more. And now, sitting outside the city where their current hideout is, Kotone is praying for her savior to come running through the gates.

And he doesn't disappoint her. Kotone immediately grabs his wrist and drags him off to a spot behind a few trees.

"Who are you!" Red shouts, but he doesn't look afraid. He seems quite capable of breaking a few of Kotone's bones before she can explain herself.

"You have to listen to me, Red!" She shouts, grabbing his hand now. His expression softens a bit, when he hears that she knows his name.

"Do I know you?" He asks her, looking at her just a bit harder trying to remember where he had seen her.

"Try putting a black hat on my head and a Team Rocket shirt on me." Kotone pulls the cloak away from her face. She instantly smoothes down her brown hair.

"Ah. The girl who never attacks me. I remember you, now." Red smiles at her, and she thinks she just might faint. No one has smiled at her in a long time.

"Kotone, for future reference." She says sarcastically, enjoying his brown eyes way too much.

"Kotone. What did you need to tell me?" He asks, and suddenly Kotone is hit with guilt. She shouldn't be asking him to take care of Team Rocket once more. He's saved the world enough already.

"Giovanni's got another hideout here in town." Kotone mumbles, looking away from him.

"Great." Red mumbles. He pries his hand away from hers, and Kotone can't stay here anymore, his silence is reminding her of Giovanni, and she just can't associate Red with him.

"I've got to go." Kotone says while backing up, he's still looking at the ground. "I'm sorry I even told you." She flinches at her own words; In six years, she hasn't had the need to apologize for anything. Kotone was raised (aside from trying to run away at seven) to do as she pleased with no concerns about the consequences.

"Don't be." Red looks up suddenly, and his eyes are determined now. "I appreciate your help, Kotone." He smiles so brightly at her, that Kotone just might break down with years of suppressed "weakness". Something that she refuses to be.

"Anytime. But, I've got to go. Da-Giovanni might notice I'm not there. And… It wouldn't end well." Kotone looks down, not wanting Red to see how scared she really is.

"Thank you, Kotone." And in a move so quick that Kotone doesn't realize it's happening, Red is right next to her, placing a kiss on her cheek, before running away towards the Pokemon Center.

Kotone is feeling brightly alive, for the first time in her life, and she just hopes that maybe if Red can knock her dad down to size that he'll become a perfect dad. Someone she can look up to, and someone who will love her no matter what. And most definitely someone who won't make her try to take over some legacy she never wanted. But, somewhere in her pessimistic mind, Kotone knows that these things won't happen. It's just too wishful to even imagine a new reality for her family.

* * *

Kotone is fifteen when everything in her life finally falls apart and hits rock bottom. Her dad's spirit has been utterly broken (Not that she cares, she so totally doesn't.), and is leaving her. Leaving Kanto. And even though she's been hoping for this day to come for years… She just can't let him leave. He's all she's got in this crazy messed up world. But Giovanni's already got his things packed, and is walking out the front door. Just like her mom. And it makes Kotone wonder what the hell is wrong with her.

"Dad! Don't go!" She's following him (As usual), and trying to find some reason to make him stay.

"I have to." Giovanni just keeps walking away from their small two bedroom house. Away from their life. He's got his hat pulled down low over his eyes, and has a small briefcase. Kotone is practically running after him just to keep up… When she hears an explosion behind her. Time slows, and she can see from the corner of her eye her house consumed by raw flames.

"Why?" Her heart's broken (weeping for her mom's Arcanine still trapped behind her bed), and she can't even cry.

"It doesn't matter." Giovanni keeps walking, and so does Kotone. Numbly though, and there isn't anything to take the pain away. Her dad leads Kotone through the grass on Route 22 without a word. The air has become tense around them as they run up the road towards the Victory Road gate, and there aren't any Pokemon popping out of the grass to challenge them. He stops, and without turning around,

"I'm leaving, Kotone." He doesn't sound sad, or depressed. And, suddenly, Kotone's blood is boiling with white hot anger.

"You told me… you were number one in the world! Are you gonna quit? What are you going to do now?" Kotone throws her hands up in the air to show how incredibly frustrated she is at him.

"….." Silence. And then slowly, almost as slow as a Slowpoke, her dad finally turns around to face her. "One must acknowledge one's defeat before he can move on… I will go solo… for now… So that one day I will form a stronger organization!" Giovanni is looking at her as if she is three years old again and is trying to teach her to talk.

"What aspect of you was number one? Gathering so many only to be defeated by a mere child!" Kotone can't help herself from trying to spike a reaction out of him. And she does get one; Giovanni's eyes flare with anger, and he almost takes a step closer to her, but stops himself before continuing his little speech,

"Putting together the potential of many is how you produce a huge power… That's what an organization is… That's the strength of an organization! I failed… To make the best use of my subordinates' potential…! But you shall witness one day the revival of me and my Team Rocket!" He shouts with true passion, and it's like he isn't even talking to his own flesh and blood. As if she doesn't exist.

"I don't understand you! You don't make any sense!" Kotone finally shouts at him, unleashing her anger that she's stored for years. Kotone has finally closed the gap between them, and she can see the disappointment brewing in his eyes.

"….." Silence takes over them once again before he speaks again. "One day you will understand." With a tiny smile, that Kotone has never seen, he walks away from her. Her fists ball up, and she can feel her nails cutting deep into her palms, drawing blood.

"I don't want to understand you! I will never become someone like you. A coward when you're alone and acting like a tyrant when you're in front of other cowards! I will become strong! I will become a stronger woman all by myself!" She yells at his retreating back. He's stopped. And suddenly Kotone knows that these will be the last words she'll ever be able to say to him. It could be about how much she hates him for not taking the time to care about her over the years, or to thank him for keeping her alive, or just saying she'll miss him. But she can't because she knows these words won't matter to him. Only three words will, so she screams them with everything she has left,

"**ALL BY MYSELF**!" Giovanni is gone before she can open her eyes. There's nothing left to hold her here in Kanto. Not anymore. So she walks away from the spot where her heart has just been broken by her own father. But, to her horror, there are two boys standing in her way. One is really young; He has black hair covered by a yellow and black hat, gray eyes with nothing but sympathy in them, and is wearing a red jacket and black pants. The other one… Is probably fifteen, sixteen (she's not sure), is tall, has super red hair, red eyes with a hint of sympathy and… Recognition? He's immediately got her attention, and she can't take her eyes away from his.

"…What are you staring at?" She finally asks, remembering who she is. What has just happened to her.

"Nothing!" The younger guy blurts out. He seems intimidated by her, and she has a sick satisfaction from that. Red hair elbows his companion, and Kotone thinks that if she hadn't promised herself to be alone, this would be someone she could easily get along with.

"Yeah, I wasn't talking to you, short fry." Kotone rolls her eyes at black hair. "I meant you." She puts her hands on her hips, and red hair is looking as if he's used to her whole tough girl routine. She shakes the thought; Because it's impossible, he doesn't even know her.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" He asks quietly.

"No, and I would appreciate it if you would get out of my way!" Kotone snaps, and pushes him out of her way. Her heartbeat picks up from the contact, and she suddenly feels like he's her home that she's been searching for.

"Sheesh, do you always got to be so pushy!" He yells at her retreating back. Kotone can't stop the grin that's creeping onto her face.

* * *

I decided to combine these all into one place. (Maybe I should have done this earlier? Whoops.) But, you all can expect the newest chapter to come up soon! It's halfway done. :)


	2. A New Beginning, The Same Story

_**A New Beginning, The Same Story**_

Kotone, at the age of fifteen, with a broken heart, escapes to Johto. She can't tell you how she manages to run all the way from Viridian City to Saffron City in only a few hours, or how she pick pockets (for the first time) some guy for his Magnet Train pass without him noticing. She was just lucky, she supposes. Or maybe it was all in her genes… The makings of a thief. When Kotone reaches the station, she urges herself to project a façade of coolness (Inside she's a jittery mess; Who knows if the pass is encoded to someone specific?)

"Passengers need to go through the gate for the automatic ticket check…" Some man calls from the back of the station. Kotone calmly walks towards him while other people follow suit. It makes her feel a little bit like her dad, which rubs against the hole in her heart, aggravating it.

"Here." Kotone hands the man her pass, still feeling anxious, and urging him to hurry it up. Mark, after reading his name tag, is as slow as a Slowpoke. He lazily swipes the card, and slowly types information into the computer. Finally, after an eternity (really only five minutes),

"Here is your pass back. This train is about to leave for Goldenrod City." Mark holds out her pass for Kotone to take.

"About time!" Angrily, she takes it and stuffs it back into her pocket, while walking towards the stairs, and before she knows it, she's shuffled onto the train with the other passengers. In no time, they're practically flying towards Goldenrod City in Johto. Kotone immediately flees from the train the moment the doors are open, and rushes out of the station like there's no tomorrow.

The first thought Kotone has, is that Johto is just _so freaking different_ from her home region, and for half a second… There's a passing urge to just go hunt down her father, and beg him to let her stay with him. But she just _can't_. She's not the little girl who constantly sought out for her father's praise and love. Kotone is strong, strong, strong, and nothing in this world is going to make her reconsider her decision.

Kotone makes her way towards the center of the town, and just stands in the road, observing pedestrians. They're actually very friendly, she realizes, because _not a single soul knows who she is_, and that feels so damn good. Old people stop and ask if she needs anything ("No, do I look like someone who needs help?" Kotone snarls), and children wave happily at her. Eventually, the Game Corner is _screaming _her name, and she wanders eagerly towards it.

Kotone is no stranger to a Game Corner; She spent countless minutes (hell, _days_) inside the Celadon branch when her father tried to set up a headquarters there. She was the only one who could bring home money and food to everyone in Team Rocket on those days. Walking into this branch, Kotone could see that she won't stand out to the other people. Who would, when everyone else is a complete screw-up? The lighting is practically nonexistent, and the smell of smoke hangs heavily in the small building. She smiles a cold, calculating smile, and heads over to the nearest guy who's smoking,

"Can I bum one of those?" Kotone points towards his pack hanging precariously out of his shirt pocket. He's a scum ball; His dark hair is lank, and he looks as if he's been playing this slot for days (His clothes are all dirty, and smell disgusting).

"Sure, just take the pack. Can't be distracted." He says dismissively, and hands it to her. "Here's the lighter." He passes that to her as well, and immediately places both hands back on the machine. Kotone grabs a cigarette, and is soon taking long drags from it. She shoves her pack into her pocket (Because she's got to make it last for a few days, who knows when this will happen again), and is on the search for the owner. He's not hard to find, Kotone realizes, because he's the only one who actually looks sober and _happy_ in a place like this.

"Hi!" She taps him on the shoulder politely, smiling brightly, hamming it up just a smidge. "I was wondering… Could I have a coin case please?"

He stares intently at her, and she tries to pretend that she's over twenty-one. "I'm sorry, dear, but you're way too young to be in a place like this."

"Excuse me?" Kotone asks in disbelief, because no one's ever refused her. The frown in firmly on her face now. "I'll call your boss, and tell him what goes on in this place and you'll be shut down _in an instant_!" Kotone snaps her fingers for emphasis.

"Fine." He looks afraid, and just like black hair (who immediately reminds her of red hair, who has been on her mind way more than he should be), he's terrified of Kotone. He hands her a clear plastic case, and she smiles coldly.

"Want to play?" Kotone points down at the Voltorb Flip game board sitting between them.

"Sure!" A smile lights up his face, and Kotone can only think; _Score._ She sits down on the couch across from him, and lets him deal the cards.

* * *

Kotone has been inside the Game Corner for days. The feeling of cold metal beneath her hands, winning every game presented to her, is an absolute _rush_, and she can't give it up. She's seen other people, who are addicts just like her, leave this slice of sin city because they have something to live for. Specifically their Pokemon. (Yeah, she's still grieving over her poor Arcanine, and hasn't had the heart to move on.)

She's smoking another damn cigarette (her thirtieth, maybe?), and is focusing on the screen to see when she should press the button, when someone taps her shoulder.

"Yeah?" She asks distractedly, because really, she doesn't care about anyone who isn't giving her cigarettes when she wants them.

"We need to talk, kid." It's the owner, and before she even knows what's happening, Kotone is jerked away from her lucky machine (she's sure there are going to be bruises later), and is forced onto the couch. "Don't you have anyone to go home to?" He questions, quite nicely, and the feelings Kotone had worked so hard to bury (Guilt, angst, sadness, fury, and many others) are bubbling inside her and she can't let them out.

"No." Kotone whispers, with a slow shake of her head for emphasis. Her cinnamon colored hair hanging over her face is all she can see. There's a sudden drop in the couch next to her, and she knows that he's sitting right next to her.

"Run away from home?"

She laughs… Quite bitterly, and only wishes that it was true. "Not even close. But I'm going to go play the slots. It was… I was going to say 'nice chatting with you', but it wasn't. Bye." Kotone is almost away from the couch when he touches her elbow. "_DON'T TOUCH ME!" _Kotone is suddenly right in his face, and is breathing heavily with contained anger.

"Sorry!" He holds his hands up in surrender. "I was just going to say that maybe if you went to Professor Elm's lab in New Bark Town, and asked him _nicely," _The owner drags out the word with a hard stare, "he might just give you a Pokemon."

Kotone pauses in her tirade. Owning a Pokemon in Johto had never even occurred to her before now. The hole in her heart is just too raw and painful for letting another creature inside her life (She never even saw her Arcanine except for when her mom was around.). "New Bark Town, you say?" Kotone asks carefully, already forming a devious plan. He nods. "How would I get there? I don't have any Pokemon of my own."

"I'll have my Pidegot fly you there." He smiles at her. And this offer, is just too tempting to back away from.

"Okay."

"Come on, let's go outside." And she watches him walk towards the front door. There's just one more thing she needs,

"Anyone got a pack? And a backpack they could spare?" (Needless to say, Kotone has become the top dog in this place; Everyone fears her enough to give her what she asks for.) And before she can even blink, there are two packs of cigarettes in her left hand, and a backpack dangling from her right. She nods, and slips her cigarettes inside along with her coin case, and follows the owner out.

* * *

Kotone can honestly say, that flying on the back of a Pokemon, even a large one, is not her forte. She fell off three times while flying over Ilex Forest, and gripped the bird's feathers too tightly while over Cherrygrove. (The bird had proceeded to hoot at her, and almost nipped her fingers off the second time it occurred.) Kotone finally makes it to the small, but quaint town, of New Bark. There are only three houses in the entire town aside from the Professor's lab. (A sudden flash of Viridian City passes through her, and makes her cringe for the busy city she's left.) She makes her way to the side of his lab and watches them through the window, plotting on how to steal a Pokemon from the man… Who seemed to be a little forgetful. _What kind of challenge was this supposed to be?_

Hours passed of staking out the Professor's lab painfully slowly. She pulls out one of her cigarettes to pass the time, when suddenly a voice yells out to her,

"You know those are bad for your health, don't you?" A familiar, almost hypnotic voice. And, slowly, Kotone turns around from her perch at the window to be greeted by _him_. Red hair. He's still smiling that playful smile, and possibly looks even more cute and a little more carefree from the first time she had met him.

"Yeah, don't care." She puts it in her mouth, lights it, and proceeds to inhale the addicting smoke.

"Why are you standing out here?" He smiles once more, and Kotone is seriously starting to wonder why she's even letting him talk to her.

"I could be asking you the same thing, red hair." She blows out another puff of smoke. Red hair looks a little miffed at the nickname Kotone has for him, and she vows to herself to keep using it.

"My name's Silver, for the record. And I'm here to get a Pokemon." His smile becomes wider. "Oh! Is that why you're here? We could go inside together!" Kotone rolls her eyes, because, seriously, how can any one person be so damn happy?

"No thanks pipsqueak. Take a hike." She rolls her eyes at him, and waves at him to get away from her.

"What's your name?" He asks her suddenly, and Kotone's _gracious _patience has finally ran out for this really cute boy.

"None of your business." She glares at him; Blue eyes meeting strangely colored silver eyes, and to her surprise, he isn't backing down. In fact, his glare almost matches her intensity. So Kotone shoves him away from her, hard. And he lands a few feet away from her, flat on his butt. She forces herself to ignore the rightful feeling of home that he ignites deep inside her, and resumes her position by the Professor's window.

"You know, I will find out." _Silver _calmly whispers to her. She glances at him once more, to see that he's not mad at her, but smiling foolishly in a way that Kotone will never know how. "I'm sure we'll meet again. That's a promise, by the way." Silver winks at her, and inside, she's screaming in joy.

"Ugh, you're a pain in the ass, _red hair_." She mutters, and to her horror (delight? No, no way in hell is she delighted.), he laughs in a low, kind of husky, way. And with that, she sees him walk inside the lab and greets the Professor.

In a strange way, Kotone realizes that Silver is the total opposite of her. He's got a way of demanding everyone's presence without forcing them too (She has to yell at them to get it), he's got that whole "I love life" vibe that she'll never own, and to top it off, he's completely weak. She's so strong, strong, strong. Meanwhile, Silver and the Professor, have been smiling, laughing, and exchanging friendly words of respect. He picks out a Poke-ball, and she can tell it's his first time, because he has that look on his face that can never be replicated.

His new Pokemon (his first) is a Cyndaquil. A cute, and tiny, fire type Pokemon, that instantly tackles Silver, forcing him to hug onto it. Silver laughs, and starts to bond with the thing, instantly proving that he's just so weak, that he's not even worth her time. And it makes the decision for her, clear as bells. She'll steal a Totodile from the dear Professor as soon as he leaves the lab. Silver's damn voice jolts Kotone out of her thoughts,

"Hey! Look at my new Pokemon!" He smiles, showing Kotone all of his snow white teeth, while holding up his tiny Cyndaquil. His Pokemon waves and says its name all cutesy-like, and Kotone just wants to smack it. (She's always going to have this hating of fire types, because that's who should be with her right now, her Arcanine.)

"Weak, just like you." She declares offhandedly. To her delight (horror? If only she could ignore that twinge of pain in her heart.), his smile drops from his face, as well as his Cyndaquil's. But only for a second before a strange look of determination is on his face.

"We're not weak." He says strongly, his voice still light and happy.

"Whatever." Kotone rolls her eyes and sits down against the wall of the lab. He joins her at her level by kneeling next to her. She's tempted (oh so tempted) to just haul off and hit him for daring to be this close to her, but she allows it, to see what he'll say next.

"We're not. Soon as you get a Pokemon, look for me, and we'll battle. But, in the meantime, I've got to go. Have to go see Mr. Pokemon." Silver stands up, and towers over her, gracing her with a sad smile. "And I'm sorry." Kotone whips her head up at this, because he is _so not _going to mention the whole scene between her and her father that he just happened to have saw, is he? She can feel the anger boiling up inside of her, ready to unleash it. "I'm sorry for whatever happened to you. But you will feel better someday soon, blue eyes."

Kotone frowns up at him. "Blue eyes? Seriously?"

"It's ten times better than '_red hair_'. You're welcome." He smiles that blinding, heart warming smile (It has no effect on her, because she's _strongstrongstrong_ and she will not give in), and runs off towards the route at the speed of light. She can see black hair waiting for him a little farther along.

"Good riddance." Kotone mutters, and pulls out another of her precious cigarettes, and waits for the perfect opportunity.

* * *

There's a full moon out tonight, reminding her of training with the grunts back home in Kanto. But, she shakes it off, because she's succeeded in stealing a Pokemon from the Professor (Way too easily, just almost as easily as the Pass still residing in her front pocket). She laughs, in a cold way, because there's that damn thief gene once again, and it isn't bothering her. Well, at least not as much as it had the first time. She reaches Cherrygrove, and tosses her Poke-ball up into the air. A beam of red light forms the shape of her Totodile, and before she can blink, her new Pokemon is blinking its red eyes up at her.

"Totodile!" The little blue thing growls at her, happily. And her bitterness, her anger, consumes her once more. But the hurt… It wells up deep inside of her heart, adding to the still broken pieces that are left. It's more painful, having another Pokemon, then she could have imagined.

"Shut up." Kotone mutters. To her relief, Totodile does. Although it doesn't look too happy about it. She sits down against the fence at the entrance, planning on sleeping here.

"So you did go get a Pokemon!" She looks up from the ground, to see Silver holding some kind of egg in his hands, with his Cyndaquil skipping in circles around him. Totodile notices Silver's Pokemon, and immediately makes friends with it. And in less than a minute, the two Pokemon are running into a patch of flowers.

"Totodile! Get over here, now!" She shouts, feeling irritated. "And what's that?" She motioned towards the egg. Silver gave her Totodile a look of sympathy before answering her,

"A Pokemon Egg. Apparently, it's some egg that has never been seen around this region. Want to hold it?" He smiles so brightly _just for her_ (Which _doesn't _make her heart race, it really doesn't, she swears.) and holds out the blue and red spotted egg to her.

"Uh… No!" She growls a little too harshly, and his face falls, just a smidge, before he plants a smile onto his face. "What about that battle?"

"Alright! Sounds good to me! Just let me put the egg in my bag, okay?" Kotone nods, and watch Silver carefully tuck the egg in between sets of clothes and zips it inside his bag. "Cyndaquil!" Silver claps, and his Pokemon sprints over to him.

"Totodile, come here." She motions for hers to stand beside her.

"Hope you're ready, blue eyes."

"Always, red hair." She smirks, knowing that because he's so weak, there's no chance that he'll win. "In fact, I'm sure you won't win, so I'll let you go first."

"Wow, you're too kind!" Silver winks, and yells for his Cyndaquil to tackle her Totodile.

"I can't believe it… How could such a weak person win against me?" Kotone spits out, pretty pissed off at herself, and Totodile.

"I told you I wasn't weak." Red hair smiles at her.

"You got lucky." Kotone retorts, just because she isn't accepting this.

"You were good, just a little inexperienced compared to me and Cyndaquil. I mean, have you even trained Totodile?" Silver frowns at her, understanding lighting his silver (in the moonlight) eyes. She doesn't answer, completely angry at him. "That's what I thought."

She's had it. She's suddenly up in his face (Kotone notices they're the same height), and she's ready to punch him out. "You don't know anything, punk!"

"I know you've got a pretty bad temper… Or that you're a really good actress. Either or." Silver shrugs, completely unfazed by her anger.

"Ugh!" She shoves him, and watches him fall to the ground. His Cyndaquil growls at her. "Shut up. Come on, Totodile." She recalls it into its Poke-ball, and walks away from Silver. She's five feet away when she realizes that, her trainer card, isn't in the front pocket opposite from her Pass. She turns around to see Silver, holding it… _Reading it_. She runs towards him, and yanks it forcefully from his hands.

"Why did you look at it?" Kotone whispers, hoping that he'll never put it together. (Praying that he'll never make the connection between her and _Giovanni_.)

"I wanted to know your name… _Kotone._" Red hair smiles sweetly. "It's a pretty name. Suits you." He nods, as if it explains so much about her. And now she has to know if he saw her last name, because she won't be able to live here if he does.

"Did you…" Kotone gulps, pushing back the weakness closing in on her. "Did you see my last name?"

He shakes his head. Relief (Disappointment? She isn't sure anymore, and that's terrifying.) seizes her insides, and she lets out a long breath she didn't know she had been holding. "No… Why?" Silver's eyes, are confused, and for that, she's glad.

"None of your business." She smiles that cold smile (The one that Silver will no doubt remember her by), and starts to walk off.

"Wait, blue eyes." He (dares to) shouts to her back. She glances back at him, only to see him now frowning at her with disappointment. "You… You didn't steal that Totodile, did you? Because, I know you wouldn't do something like that!"

She smiles in amusement (sadness?) that he thinks he knows her. "You don't know me, red hair. Sorry." (Kotone flinches once more, because that's the third time in her whole life that she's had to apologize to someone. But this guy seems _so much more important _than her father or Red will ever be to her.)

"Kotone… Wait. Don't go yet. Come with me." His eyes are begging hers to stay, and it's difficult (impossible) to say no to them.

"I can't, red hair. I've got things to do, people to see, you know, the whole shebang of this adventure thing." She treats him to an honest smile, and he smiles back (It reminds her of what she could have been). "Chao!" Kotone shoves him to the ground one last time, letting his laugh echo in the space that she's left behind.


	3. Always One Step Ahead

**_Always One Step Ahead;;;_**

Silver is fourteen when he first meets Kotone; A pretty girl with cinnamon colored hair, mixed with caramel highlights, and turquoise eyes (when she's totally laughing at you, otherwise her eyes are a dark sapphire; Hard, cold, and calculating.). He doesn't know much more about Kotone other than the fact that she's stolen a Pokemon, is a complete mystery to him, and smokes cigarettes when she's on her own. And walking back to his home town, he can't seem to get this pretty girl out of his mind. (It isn't his fault, she's the one who keeps knocking him off of his feet…)

"Silver!" The girl (he's never bothered to learn her name) who stands outside the lab runs up to him. She looks pretty frantic and upset. "Professor Elm needs you at his lab right away!"

"Okay, thanks." Silver pats her shoulder gently, and walks towards the lab (head still focused on a certain tough girl). He isn't shocked by who's inside when he walks through the door; Two policeman, and an obviously distraught Professor Elm. Silver can just feel in his bones that they're here about the missing Pokemon. _If they only knew_, he thinks. Suddenly, the policeman have backed Silver into the nearest wall, shouting at him to give back the Pokemon he's stolen.

"I did-" Silver's protest is cut off with a slam of the door, and his childhood friend Ethan, is stepping in between him and the officers. Silver can tell that they're about to pass Ethan off as a joke, and he can't blame them. His friend is only twelve, and his entire presence just screams _hey-I'm-about-to-pull-a-funny-prank-on-you_.

"Silver didn't steal any Pokemon! It was this brown haired girl! I saw her sitting outside the Professor's lab earlier today! I didn't think anything of it until now!" Ethan's smiling as if he's so proud of himself… Silver just wants to slap him. Silver is feeling oddly protective of the girl he's only met a few hours ago, and can't help but ask himself why. But the officers are looking at Silver, waiting for him to confirm or to deny Ethan's claims.

"…It's true. There was a girl." He mutters half unwillingly, but tells them because he knows that he cannot lie to anyone to save his life.

"And Silver talked to her!" Ethan quickly blurts out to the adults around them. Silver's eyes immediately find Ethan's and is urging him to _shut-the-hell-up-already_! "More than once!"

"Did you get her name?" Professor Elm slips in, probably sensing just how extremely close Ethan is to receiving a broken nose. Silver looks down at the ground… Kotone had seemed pretty freaked about Silver knowing her name (Well, her last name) and so vulnerable.

"Silver." One of the policeman firmly says, forcing Silver to drag his eyes up from the floor. "We need her name."

_Not in a million years_, he thinks. "I don't know. She wasn't very sociable." In a millisecond, he's bolting out of there, leaving the egg from Mr. Pokemon behind him on the nearest table.

* * *

"Can you believe we have to challenge the Sprout Tower Elder, just to battle the Gym?" Silver mutters to his Cyndaquil, leading them both to the third floor. The little Pokemon shakes his head as they emerge onto the last floor of the rickety tower, full with sages all over.

"-And other thing!" A shrill, _but oh so tough_, voice shrieks over the creaking foundation. "Maybe if you actually had some stronger Pokemon, I wouldn't have wiped you out so easily!" Kotone finally comes into view (and even though it's been a few weeks since he's seen her… She looks a little more stressed), and it's not surprising to see her only a few inches away from the Elder's face.

"Ahem!" Silver coughs (subtlety, of course) to announce his presence, and Kotone stops in her rage to actually see who would dare interrupt her. She smirks (and it really doesn't make him feel like she's just given him the world) and actually struts her way over to Silver, with this fierce look of determination (or hatred? He's not sure.) painted on her face.

"Red hair." Kotone nods coldly, with a brief flash of warmness in her eyes that he might just be imagining, and crosses her arms over her chest. "It took you a long ass time to get here. I got here in like two days." She smugly says, obviously proud of herself.

"Well, isn't that great for you, blue eyes." Silver smiles at her, and revels in her sapphire eyes that are practically daring him to keep aggravating her. "Why are you still here then?"

Immediately, her face becomes hard as granite. (Silver hadn't realized until then, that her guards had been completely down.) Kotone's eyes immediately flash towards his, locking them in a heated gaze. Sapphire versus garnet in an epic showdown that makes Silver suddenly fear for his life.

Until she _stamps_ her foot, and pushes him into the wall.

"That isn't any of your business, red hair." Kotone growls into his ear, with no regards as to whether her voice may be too loud for such close proximity.

"You're hiding out from the cops, right?" He turns his head to meet her glance one more, smirking fully. Her frown becomes deeper at that, staying completely silent. "It is, isn't it!"

"Red hair, I never said anything about that." Her fists tighten in his jacket, and slams him (gently, of course) into the wall again. "Don't assume things."

"You didn't deny it either, Kotone." Silver doesn't know why he calls her by her real name at this moment. It just feels so right rolling off of his tongue though.

Her face somewhat softens. A tiny, but incredibly sad, smile breaks out across her face. "Silver. Don't… Don't say that. I'm 'blue eyes.' Kotone died a long time ago." His hand involuntarily reaches for her porcelain cheek. He's not even hesitant (but he is terrified as hell) as his hand is getting closer towards her.

Surprisingly, Kotone lets his hand make contact. Her eyes flutter shut, and her hands loosen considerably from his jacket. That's not what he focuses on. He is completely engulfed by the incredible heat that is radiating from her cheek as well as how soft she is. Despite her tough girl attitude.

Her eyelids open to reveal misty sky blue eyes that are intently staring at you. You flinch back into the wall that you're already pressed against.

"You're weak, red hair. So. Fucking. Weak." Before Silver can retort, she brings out a piece of rope that immediately makes Kotone spin rapidly in circles before his eyes. In an instant, she's gone, leaving him behind in a suddenly less vibrant place.

"Young man? Are you all right?" The Elder peers at Silver, as he lights a candle. Hours have passed Silver by, and he hadn't even realized.

"I'm just fine." Silver answers softly. "Can we battle now, please?"

"Of course. Let's begin, shall we?"

* * *

Only a week has passed since Silver has seen Kotone. Sure, he's accomplished earning his first badge, as well as traveling south towards Azalea Town. He can't forget about the Pokemon egg that is now _his_ to take care of, courtesy of Professor Elm. The only problem with this whole 'adventure' is that… It's no longer his dream to become top Pokemon master. He loves his Pokemon, don't get him wrong, but he knows that there are many other kids with that exact dream.

Lying in his sleeping bag, Silver stares at the night sky. It's not a simple dark blue that he expected; there are many shades of blues that swirl into a mixture of a cohesive blend that is just the right amount for the clear summer night.

A piece of the recipe for a perfect existence is still missing for Silver. No matter how hard he racks his mind, he can't come up with a good reason for why that is.

He sleeps rather fitfully that night, with waves of blue drowning him in his dreams.

* * *

Silver is asked to save the Slowpoke the second he steps into town. A little girl, wearing a pretty yellow dress, and matching ribbons in her hair, immediately runs up to him, screaming and crying for him to do something about the thugs hurting the Pokemon.

It's unfortunate that she has pretty blue eyes, because otherwise he's pretty sure that he wouldn't help her otherwise. She squeals at his affirmative and drags him by the wrist over to Kurt's house to apparently be filled in about the details. (Which is weird, because Silver already knows everything that he needs to know.)

"You'll like my grandpa Kurt, mister! He's super nice…" The little girl babbles on in front of him, swinging both of their arms high into the sky. It's pretty amusing to see how relaxed and calm she is now that he's here to save the day. Silver looks away from her into the cluster of trees not so far away.

There's a flash of white and red that's zigzagging through the forest. He halts, which causes the little girl to jerk back to him. _She _can't be here! She just… Can't, okay? It wouldn't make sense at all, for her to be here. It would be the fourth time he's met her if he is counting correctly. (He isn't, he really isn't. That would be insanity if he was.)

"Mister? Are we going to go save the Pokemon?" The little girl tugs on his hand to get his attention back onto her. Silver glances down quickly and nods, and when she starts to lead them both to Kurt's house, he looks back up to the forest. It's not a surprise that the white and red has disappeared.

Silver can't stop the overwhelming disappointment that washes over him that moment.

* * *

He's just leaving the gym, a new shiny badge residing in his front pocket, when he sees a certain blur of white and red moving throughout the forest. The only logical thing to do, of course, is to chase after it.

So that's what he does.

His feet are slamming against the ground faster than he's ever ran, even with the running shoes on, and it's like his lungs aren't even working anymore. Every breath suddenly burns, and for a second, he can't even remember why he's chasing after this probable illusion.

That doesn't stop Silver from sprinting with all his might towards the blot that is getting further away from him by the second. Or that least, it was, until it falls to the ground, face first. He immediately doubles his efforts to reach her, and oh Arceus, his lungs are hurting. But that doesn't really matter, when compared to who it could be up ahead of him.

"Ouch!" A voice cries out in anger, and for a brief second, Silver allows himself to smirk, because honestly it is kind of amusing to see her be angry at something else other than him. He reaches her side, and gracefully drops down next to her. Kotone is clutching her ankle, and is paying no attention to him.

"I'm going to burn that tree down to a crisp. I swear." She growls to her ankle. It's kind of… Cute (Wait, what? Where is this coming from?) to see her promise a revenge to an inanimate object.

"You can't really blame the tree for you tripping, blue eyes." Silver quips to her, still trying to hold back that smile. Her blue eyes snap up from looking at her ankle to him, and instantly he can see the change from pain to immediate aggravation. _Oh, Entei, here we go again_, he thinks to himself.

"I can, actually, red hair. Or I might just blame you." She pauses, sarcastically giving the idea some thought. He can tell by just how flippant she's acting. "Yeah, that sounds like a much better plan. At least I won't have to imagine cries of pain and begging for mercy with you."

Silver just blinks at her, patiently waiting for her to stop with her rant.

"Oh forget it! You're not even good enough for my threats, nonetheless the real deal. I'm out of here." She glares at him, before attempting to stand up. She falters once she puts a tiny bit of weight on her bad ankle. "Fuck!" She hisses in pain, teeth clenched, before kneeling back on the ground. Silver wishes that he could say that no he doesn't really care about what happens to her, but he _does_, and he can't just leave her on her own.

"C'mon blue eyes, let's get you to the Pokemon Center." You gently put your arm around her waist, and her arm around your shoulders before you motion for you both to stand up. She doesn't comply.

"No way, red hair. Fuck that. I'm staying right here until I can get myself up. Go find a Weedle that will let you play the dashing hero." She hooks her thumb behind her, gesturing towards the forest, then crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Seriously? From the looks of it, your ankle probably has a bad sprain. You're at least a mile away from town. Just… Let me help you." Silver says in an exasperated tone, still kneeling next to her.

"No! Are you crazy, red hair? What part of my subtle '_go away_' did you not understand?" Kotone screams at him, trying to stand up once more. She succeeds this time, and even though she's in pain (it's obviously written on her face), she hobbles over to the nearest tree she can lean on.

"I'm not going anywhere." He sighs, easily pushing himself up from the dirt. Kotone proceeds to glare at you, and if looks could kill, you'd have been dead the very first day you had met her. She's silent, letting her oceanic eyes pierce yours.

"Okay, then next offer, a battle. If I win, you have to let me help you get back to town, and watch your ankle at the very least, be wrapped up securely." Silver offers to the stubborn girl. She's still, clearly pondering the suggestion, and lets her hands fly up to the ribbon tied around her hat.

"What do I get if I win?" She asks aloofly, still fiddling with her hat. Silver looks back down to her eyes, to see that yes, she is desperately serious. Her voice may have been devoid of emotion, but her bright blue eyes are glittering with hope.

"I'll…" He pauses, suddenly overcome with too many emotions. "I'll let you be on your own." Her eyes suddenly light up at this, and Silver purposely ignores the feeling of tears wanting to spill over, as Kotone suddenly tosses her poke-ball up into the air.

(Silver wishes that battles weren't the only times he could see a sliver of the real Kotone that's hidden deep inside of her.)

* * *

Silver wins the battle, once again, with his newly evolved Quilava and his trusty team. He gives his Pokemon a pat on the head, before he carefully walks over to Kotone.

She's still huddled against the tree, except now, her hope is gone. It's as obvious as the daylight shining through the trees. She's turned away from him, as well. She stonily recalls her Croconaw, and starts to limp away into the trees. Silver, even though he's not surprised, he doesn't want her to go yet. So he immediately runs to be in front of her, and stops her from walking.

"Did you forget our deal?" He smiles politely at her, ignoring the tense atmosphere that is radiating from her. She frowns at him, and gracefully flips him off, before she continues to try and get past him. Silver steps in her path once more.

"Did I ever tell you that you're annoying?" She mutters in irritation.

He gives her question serious thought. Even though it's been quite a while since he's last seen her, he can't honestly recall her calling him annoying. "Nope, not once." He smirks, and shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Well, you are." She groans, and stands still. "You might as well get me to the Pokemon Center. I want you to be alone, and it's obvious you're not leaving." She shuts her eyes, and sticks an arm out into the air. Silver smiles, and with poise, he lifts her off of her feet, and into his arms. It's suddenly awkward with one arm under her knees, and one wrapped around her waist. Kotone, ironically, looks completely at home in his arms. She's connected her free hand with the one draped around his neck, and she is surprisingly calm.

He wonders if he's just anxious, because that's the only reason why his heart is beating faster with every second she's in his arms. (That's all, right? Please tell him he's right.)

"Are you going to go, red hair, or just stare at me like a lost Wurmple all day long?" Kotone questions, breaking the silence that had formed.

"Yeah, of course I am blue eyes." He stutters, and starts to move forward. _It's only one step at a time_, he tells himself.

* * *

Amazingly enough, Silver expected the walk to be short, and quick. (Of course he's wrong.) Kotone fills up the silence with promises of a thorough ass kicking, and total redemption at their next battle. She's still holding onto him though, as if there's no tomorrow.

As if she's afraid to be alone.

Silver stays quiet throughout her entire trash-talking, for one, knowing that it will annoy her more than any response will, and two, because he's just… Relieved that she's alright? (Something he ate or drank was drugged, that's all. There is no way that he'd feel like this on a free-willing thought.) But, for now, he'll go with it. He doesn't really want to make Kotone get all agitated while she's injured. Besides, he doesn't want a headache either.

The total walk to the Pokemon Center takes over two hours.

Silver is completely weary by the time he reaches the doors, and he himself is surprised that he hasn't totally just dropped Kotone to the ground yet. She's eager to walk around by now, because she's all twitching, and hyper now. Plus, the first thing she shouts to Nurse Joy the minute Silver walks into the Center,

"GET ME OUT OF THIS IDIOT'S ARMS NOW." She screams with everything she's got, and Silver can see the nurses on the _second_ _floor_ flinch, and duck behind their counters.

Silver can't blame them at all, he finds.

Nurse Joy immediately has a Chansey bring over a stretcher over to them, and Silver awkwardly and so gently, sets Kotone onto it, and let's her be wheeled away. The warmth of her, the feel of her soft body in his arms, is what he's suddenly missing. It's weird, really, to even think that.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Nurse Joy asks Silver, and for some odd reason, Silver blushes. Sure, he's in shock, but he really can't think of how to answer her. He's opening and closing his mouth like a Magikarp, and Nurse Joy is looking at him like an idiot, when a very angry voice answers them both,

"HELL NO HE'S NOT!" Kotone somehow manages to yell from the emergency room. Nurse Joy's expression forms into one of understanding, and he can just tell that she's hiding a smile.

"Can I get two rooms, please?" Silver asks sheepishly, letting his hand find the back of his neck, while the other one reaches for his wallet.

* * *

The next morning, Silver wakes up to the sun shining through the nearest window, and the sounds of Pidgey and Hoothoot, are making a melodious sound outside of it. It's a good morning, so far. He's about to get out of bed, and to check on Kotone, when he feels a note taped to his shirt.

"_Red hair; I know, you're wondering what the hell this is doing taped to your chest. Be grateful, it could have been your forehead. I highly doubt you would have found it then. Anyways, I left late last night. I didn't want to listen to you go on and on about how I should take it easy and all that jazz. So whatever. Besides, I have a feeling you'll be stalking me and then I'll have to make good on my promises of kicking your ass. I'm looking forward to it. Besides, you're so weak that you won't be able to handle one punch without crying. Peace out, dude._

_P.S. I stole two hundred dollars from your wallet. You had lots of money anyway. Don't be such a cry baby! And greedy! Other people need it more than you do._

_P.P.S. I told Nurse Joy that you would pay for my treatment."_

Silver wishes he could say that he is surprised at how rude the letter is. Or how that she totally just pulled off a great way to get money for herself, and make him suffer all at once.

"Oh, you are good, Kotone." He mutters to himself, with a fond smile on his face. "Until the next time we meet."


	4. A Possible Downfall for the Fallen Pt1

_**A Possible Downfal for the Fallen (Part 1);;;**_

Kotone is smoking once more, limping with an oddly fierce passion, when she emerges from the forest. It's officially the afternoon now, as is obvious by the blinding sunlight streaming down on her. Which is ridiculous since she had left Azalea Town around four o'clock in the morning. _I'm not going to think of Silver, especially not how cute he was…_, She immediately snaps herself out of that incredibly stupid thought, and takes a slow drag from the cigarette poised between her lips.

The nicotine burns so deliciously throughout her lungs. It takes away all these weird feelings she's been having over the past few months. Especially the ones that involve red hair. It's abnormal for her to spend so much precious time from her schedule to become stronger, to think about such a weakling. She releases the inhaled smoke, and forcefully takes another, before realizing that the cigarette is about ready to burn her fingertips. She tosses it down to the ground, and angrily stomps on it, before reaching for another one.

Only to discover that both packs are painfully empty.

"Well isn't that just great!" Kotone snarls to a random herd of lingering Raticates who immediately dash away into the undergrowth of the forest. Her hand finds a poke-ball resting on her hip, and for a brief moment, actually considers to let her Pokemon out. To let it _follow her_ around the region consistently. Just like her rival. "Well, that's a stupid idea." She mutters to herself, and continues to limp along, following the well worn dirt path for once in her life. It's a shame that her ankle just had to get sprained while running away from red hair.

"It's a good thing he'll be financing me for a while." She lightly touches the pocket full of money with a smirk painted on her face.

The minute Kotone steps into Goldenrod, she's tempted to run into the Pokemon Center, because her ankle is really killing her. The last of the medicine had worn off right after her jump from the second floor window of the Center in Azalea Town. But, that's not the smartest idea if she wants to stay off the radar. So she limps along to the Department Store in search of some new clothes that will help her do just that.

It's almost… Pleasant, to be back in this town after being away for so long. The people are still just as smiley as ever, and if possible the mood seems to be brighter than it should be after a supposed appearance by the infamous Team Rocket. (She's still not quite sure if she believes that red hair single handily took them on. He's a weak runt, probably desperate for some attention by the Pokerazzi. But the citizens of the town are starting to give her weird looks, and she can't really blame them. A girl who is limping along, purposely, in a crowd, wearing a giant marshmallow hat, is sure to be a strange sight.

"Can I help you miss?" Someone taps Kotone's shoulder which instantly makes her spin around, ignoring the throbbing pain from her ankle, to see who would dare talk to her. Hell, even come within arm's length distance. She finds herself face to chest with this stranger. He's wearing a fancy black and red button down shirt, and a cape? He isn't actually serious, is he? Her eyes travel upwards to see that this _man_ has a well defined jaw, and romance novel eyes that are just brimming with confidence.

"No. I'm fuc-, I mean, I'm fine. I can get to the store by myself." Kotone mutters to this strange man before quickly taking a few steps forward. Her eyes stay locked on his, giving him what's supposed to be an intimidating glare. (She didn't spend countless days with a pack of Houndoom, for nothing after all.)

"Ha-ha, you're going to be just fine on your own I see." He smiles down to her, and it's completely annoying. Something about this guy just makes her want to snap at him with every ounce of anger she's got.

"Yeah. Peace out, old man." She growls to him as she walks away.

_It's hella strange to be in new clothes now_, Kotone thinks as she walks out of the huge store, with the old ones (the old her, the weak one) bundled up in a plastic bag. It's a new start in a new region (to her at least), and it might as well be a new beginning for her. Wait, that's getting way too philosophical for Kotone, and it's not some new process she's going to start now. Besides there are things to do, and these new clothes are bound to _help_ her acquire the stuff she needs.

Walking down the street in a black pair of skinny jeans, a red tank top, a new pair of running shoes (red, of course), and a pinstripe fedora, Kotone wonders where to head next. She could head over to the National Park, the Radio Tower, _anywhere_, and no one would know or care. A perk to being abandoned by her family.

Kotone is about to head over to… _Somewhere_ when her ankle cracks loudly. "Fuck!" She swears loudly to the surrounding crowd and immediately crumples to the ground. It's not too terrible, since she does have that brace, but it does have a nasty sting to it. The crowd swarms up to her, giving her practically no room to breathe, and they start to talk all at once.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"Can you feel your ankle?"

"That was a nasty fall, dude! Deserves a high five!" (Needless to say Kotone gave that dude a particularly "nasty" snarl that made him back away in fright.)

"Let me see the ankle, doll."

Everyone is just becoming more incessant at being heard over someone else and it finally just escalates into an arguing match where Kotone isn't even the main object of their focus anymore. Somehow, she manages to find a gap between people that she can just barely crawl out of. It's hard work, without being able to use her feet properly, and the hard concrete ground does not make things any easier.

Luckily, she still has everything in her pack, and if the Pokemon Center wasn't so far away… That's where she'd go. But, amazingly enough, she's only a few feet away from the Game Corner. There are people lingering outside the door, smoking, and guffawing over some stupid joke that was just told.

"Hey, you two _idiots_." She shouts in their direction, which makes their heads turn over to see her cradling her ankle. "A little help into the game corner would be nice. I don't want to be stuck out here all day listening to you two laugh over stuff that isn't funny."

At first, all they spare for Kotone is a mere glance, one that is slightly shining with coldness. But maybe it's because even though her words were fierce, she's a girl, and she's in pain, they suddenly decide to help her. Their eyes show sympathy as they walk over towards her, and suddenly a part of her is filled with fear. Fear for putting trust (even this small amount) in these guys, fear of being weak when she's supposed to be strong and tough; everything her father is not.

What he will never be.

It's too late to demand the strangers to put her down because they've already picked her up, and are heading towards the building. This is a different experience entirely from when red hair had carried her. His arms are cold, and it doesn't feel as safe as it is in her memories. It's a quick walk though, which is a definite plus, and he swiftly deposits her onto the nearest couch. Both men are about to walk away when Kotone suddenly finds her hand moving towards the nearest guy's forearm. He turns to look at her, and despite the uncomfortable feeling rising up her throat, she nods at him in thanks. They both smile at her and immediately walk back out to the fresh air.

Kotone finally takes in the details once more even though it hasn't changed since the last time. The smoke is still visible throughout the building (meaning that it won't be too hard to replace the packs of cigarettes she's already smoked), people are still hanging on to the machines like lifelines, and the mood is as dismal as ever. Fine by her, of course, life doesn't exist here. It's a getaway that everyone clearly needs.

"Let the festivities begin." She yells to the crowd. It's odd, but she can see Silver frowning at her in some disapproving way at these words. _He means nothing to me, really_. They turn to look at the girl who is clearly one of them, and they respond with loud cheers and wide smiles that promise a good time.

* * *

A/N: Yikes. I'm really sorry guys. But here it is, the first part of Chapter 4! :) The next one is from Silver's point of view!


End file.
